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Friday, January 14, 2011

Action: Working to ensure quality teachers trained in research-based practices


Submitted by: Representative Diane Patrick

House District 94
"Perske Pencil Portraits 1971-1990"


"I will continue working to ensure that all of our students have access to quality teachers who have been trained in research-based practices for students with disabilities."

5 comments:

Dragon Lady said...

As a mother raising an autistic child in Texas Public schools, I support any efforts to bring awareness to our legislators regarding the serious lack of quality teaching standards for students with disabilities. While some educators show obvious disdain for being forced to take on the challenge of teaching these kids, others, although willing, are ill prepared and poorly trained. Thank you Mrs. Patrick for your continued commitment to this cause.
D. Stark

Isela Wilson said...

I am a mother of an 18 year old with multiple disabilities one of them CVI (Cortical Visual Impairment). I ask that you continue to look out for our children with disabilities and that you especially see that VI teachers recieve proper training in Texas. As it stands now any teacher can get certified just by taking a test. You cannot imagine what negative impact that has on our children with visual impairments since sight is the most important sense we have to learning.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for supporting and advocating on behalf of all Texans who have a disability. You are respected by all, no matter where they choose to receive services, State Supported Living Centers and community supports.

Tamara Ishee said...

Thank you so much! Education and inclusion is so critical for our kids.

Anonymous said...

As a mother of a child who is profoundly impacted by autism I appeal to legislators to provide the funding necessary to support the delivery of peer reviewed research based practices in the education of our children. It is woefully short sighted to dismiss these intensive interventions based on cost. It is far less costly – in every sense of the word – to provide interventions that have been shown to enable individuals to progress in their independence and ability to contribute to society– than to support them throughout their life time. “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day – Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”.
Most Special Education teachers are very hard working and dedicated to their students. Like the parents of Special Needs Children, I believe and hope there is a special place in Heaven for them. However, without specific training and appropriate staff to student ratios, they can not be successful in helping our children to progress. The fact that our children do not learn in the way that typical children learn does not mean that they can not learn. In the words of a man who dedicated his life to figuring out how to teach these seemingly unreachable children, “If a child cannot learn in the way we teach… we must teach in the way he can learn.” Ivar Lovaas
The hard part has been done for us. Others have discovered what works in teaching autistic children. We need to ensure that the funding is in place to implement these methods. I cannot adequately express to you the feelings of anguish experienced by a mother who learns that there is something that can help her child only to realize that she must win the lottery or file a law suit in order to get it. It should not be so. What priorities could possibly be higher that ensuring that a human being have the opportunity to reach his or her full potential? As Benjamin Franklin said, ‘If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.’ I believe this is never truer that when applied to the population of autistic children.